Does 'creativity+IT+start-up' always have to mean new gadgets?
Not at all. We consider ourselves a creative start-up in our own field – we're taking an existing, well-tested product and creating a better sales and marketing concept for it. We try to benchmark and implement features from different industries and combine them in our business, creating a better solution for clients as well as for the provider of the product. There's no patent, but building something from scratch to match modern standards is challenging even for our biggest competitors, who have trouble adjusting.
What would you advise enthusiastic start-ups in creative fields to do – aim high from the outset or start locally, be patient and grow into an international player?
Think big, BIG big, but prove your concept on your home field so you can shape it. Don't hesitate to contact bigger player, investors and companies – at the very least you can learn from them. Investors need good companies as much as companies need investors. You rarely come up with something great by doing something small, but at the same time you have to be realistic, do your research and work out your options.
Inspiration lunches
The inspiration lunch series was launched in 2013 and is organised by the Finnish Institute, Creative Estonia and the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia. The next lunch, entitled 'Business models without borders', will be held from 12:00-14:00 on 14 April at the Artis cinema in Tallinn.
We will be talking about how to rise above your competitors – you need to stand out, find new ways of entering the market and exporting your products and really put your smarts to work. Numerous creative and tech enterprises have come up with new business models. What can we learn from them? What are the business model trends in the start-up world? Some examples might just prompt you to review your own business model in a situation where resources are limited but the market is global. Slush Helsinki CEO Riku Mäkelä from Finland will be one of the experts sharing his views and experience.